


We All Just Wanna Be Big Rockstars

by queenssmoaks



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5sos AU, AU, Angst, Best Friends, Cutesy, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, M/M, Musicians, Rockstar!Michael, Sexy Times, Virginity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:59:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5277620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenssmoaks/pseuds/queenssmoaks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Luke is a huge fan of Michael's band, Bromance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first chapter of a work. I have lots of ideas! And even though I don't like Nickelback, I did use a lyric for the title because it just fits xD  
> /Warning: there's some slight allusions to homophobia.

Luke had probably seen this band more times than anyone in his or her right mind would have.

He was pretty sure it was time number thirty-two and he was already thinking about time thirty-three. He had begun following Bromance when he was only sixteen and now he was nineteen but still just as in love with the band as he was on day one. Or maybe he was just still in love with the forerunner, Michael “Metal” Clifford. The way he could play the guitar, the deep, throaty voice he had when he sang… it’s what had really won him over, even when people teased him about being a fan. Music was everything to Luke—he even played a little guitar of his own, though not half as good as Michael—and he was never going to give that up. 

He was brought out of his reverie as something smacked him in the face. At first, he thought it was one of the idiotic girls next to him against the barricade, flailing her arms as if Michael would really notice her. But Luke soon realized that it was a guitar pick, which had luckily fallen in front of him on the floor. He quickly looked up and saw Michael leaving the stage and he wondered if it was his. Reaching down to grab it before any other crazy fangirl could, his eyes widened as his thumb ran over the decal that read “MC”—it was his! Michael had thrown him a guitar pick! ...No, calm down, Luke, he told himself. It was just a lucky throw—a really lucky throw, because he had always been dying to catch one. With victory in his eyes, Luke pushed his way through the crowd towards the exit, where he would have to wait for his mom to pick him up. He was happy that Liz didn’t mind picking him up late from his shows, even though she had a teaching job and had to be up early. She was one of the few people, along with his friend Calum, that understood how much Bromance meant to him. He couldn’t wait to tell Calum about the guitar pick and pulled out his phone, opening a new text message. As he began typing, he walked down the street towards a bar he knew, where he could wait instead of standing out on the side of the road. He gave a quick hello to the hostess before going to take a seat at the bar top, drumming his fingers on the wood in a rhythm from one of his favorite songs. 

Luke ordered a beer, sipping on it carefully as he got an excited text from Calum: “Woah, dude, that’s so cool! I bet all the girls were jealous of you ;)”, which caused Luke to laugh. They probably were but he wasn’t about the life of stalking the band and trying to become a groupie—one because he was still unsure about his sexuality and two because he knew what that meant. Michael clearly had plenty of groupies and even though he was probably Bromance’s biggest fan, he didn’t care about going to extreme lengths to meet him. Tumblr showed him plenty of photos of fans meeting him unknowingly on the street, or rather very knowingly and just made it seem like it was pure luck. Luke finished his beer and paid the tab, getting a text from his mom saying that she was a few minutes away. As he went back out into the cool air, he heard a commotion coming from the alley beside the bar. Curious, though knowing he shouldn’t, Luke gingerly walked over towards the noise and peered around the corner.

What he saw couldn’t have ever been expected.

It was Michael, the Michael, and he was getting into an argument with his manager, whom Luke knew was Ashton Irwin. Ashton managed some of the biggest names in the Aussie business and Bromance was no different. The man had taken the band from a bunch of nobodies to playing sold-out arena shows at the drop of a hat. Luke had no idea how he did it, but clearly the guy was good at his job. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he sort of couldn’t help it, and listened as silently as he could, even holding his breath.

“You can’t do this shit anymore, Michael.” Ashton was saying in a dark tone.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want. I’m a rockstar, Ashton, that’s what you made me to be.” Michael replied, leaning against the side of the building and closing his eyes. 

“I made people notice you. But neither of us want this kind of attention.” Ashton whispered harshly.

Luke briefly wondered what they were talking about: what had Michael done? He knew Michael probably wasn’t all that innocent; he wasn’t going to be naïve about it. 

“So what? It’s easy enough to make it go away. That’s why you hired that dumbass press team, to deal with this. She’s probably lying anyway and she can’t prove anything.” Michael said, pushing himself up off of the wall. “Now if you excuse me, I have some drinking to do.” He turned on his heel and was coming right towards Luke, but Luke was frozen in place. He didn’t know what to do, so he tried to keep quiet but Michael bumped right into him, causing him to trip and fall on his ass. Luke was looking up at his idol and he swallowed hard, not even sure what to say. 

“I… uh… I…” Luke stuttered, using the brick wall to help pull him up. 

“Were you listening to all that? Goddamn, the paps have gotten low. Hiring someone like you to get the latest and greatest.” Michael huffed and shook his head, pushing past Luke.

“I’m not from the press. I just… I heard yelling and I didn’t know what to do an—“ Luke tried to speak but he didn’t even know what to say.

Michael stopped and turned around again, crossing his arms over his chest as he raised a brow. “Oh, yeah? Well what are you then? A crazed fan hoping to ‘get with’ the famous Michael Clifford?” He said with a smirk, taking a few steps back towards Luke so that his back was pressed against the wall. “Sorry to disappoint but I don’t do guys.” 

Luke could feel his cheeks turning pink and he shook his head. “That’s not… Listen, I’ve been a fan of yours for as long as I can remember, before you even started making it big and I really would appreciate it if you could not be a dick and ruin everything good about you.” 

Michael laughed, bringing his hand to rest beside Luke’s head, leaning so that their faces were inches apart. “I hate to break it to you, but I pretty much am a dick. Just ask Ashton over there, he’ll tell you plenty of stories to back that up.” 

“I don’t believe you.” Luke said defiantly: this was just an act Michael was putting up, he knew it. It’s how all rockstars acted in public, to keep up that stereotypical image.

“Believe what you want, kid.” Michael said, even though he was only a year older. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a crumpled napkin and brandished a Sharpie from the other pocket, signing his signature. “What’s your name?”

“Luke.” Luke whispered softly as Michael wrote a ‘To Luke’ at the top, handing it over to him.

“Here, take it as an incentive to keep your mouth shut, yeah? See you at the next show.” He said with an exaggerated wink. Michael said, turning on his heel and heading back into the bar through the front door.

Holy. Crap. 

Luke had just met Michael Clifford, caught his guitar pick at the show and now had his autograph. 

Calum wasn’t going to believe this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I found the image on Google and clicked on the page to find the original post but it was sketchy so credit to whoever made it *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drama begins.

Calum barely did believe it.

Luke had come over his house to hang out like they always did after school and had brought along the napkin that Michael had signed, along with the guitar pick. He had just finished telling his best friend the story of their chance meeting and neither of the boys really knew what to think. 

“You sassed THE Michael Clifford, Luke.” Calum said, handing the souvenirs back to his friend, chuckling to himself.

“Well… he was being a dick, what else was I supposed to do?” Luke shrugged his shoulders. He had already been teased enough at school for how his hair was done and how tall he was. He wasn’t going to take any crap, not even from his idol. 

“I’m applauding you, man. But do you really believe that? That he’s not a dick? I mean, he sure seems like one, especially with that dumbass comment about you wanting to sleep with him.” Cal rolled his eyes and Luke could feel himself blushing just like he had the night before. He really wanted to believe that it was all an act and that Michael really was a nice person inside. The lyrics to his songs made him seem as if he did have a softer, emotional side that he barely showed to anyone. Luke wanted to believe that /that/ was the real him and he was just trying to keep up appearances with a fan, a possibly crazed fan who was eavesdropping on his conversation. But he really didn’t know how he felt about the ‘groupie’ comment: sure, Luke wasn’t sure about who he was yet, but was it that obvious to everyone? The guitarist had seen him for two seconds and was already assuming things like that about him. Not that it would be a bad thing: Luke had plenty of support in his life, no matter whom he liked. 

“Lyrics speak louder than words, that’s what I’m sticking with.” He said with a sheepish smile and that earned a hair ruffle from Cal. They had been best friends since they were in grade school and his friend knew how much he loved this band. Luke and him would play together—Luke on guitar, Calum on bass—whenever they had free time, that’s how they had become friends: though music. 

Luke wondered mindlessly about the conversation he had overheard between Ashton and Michael: what exactly had it been about? He remembered there was something about a girl, something about her being a liar—or at least that’s what Michael had said. He knew it was probably just a simple publicity stunt gone wrong but he still couldn’t help but be curious as to what it was about. 

“Oh shit.” Calum whispered, looking up from his phone, where he had been scrolling through Twitter. 

“What is it?” Luke raised a brow, shuffling over to sit next to him on the plush couch.

“It’s that gossip site that’s always tweeting ‘new and exclusive’ info about Bromance.” Calum explained, turning the phone to Luke so he could see the newest headline.  
MICHAEL CLIFFORD’S MAJOR MISHAP: WHAT THE STAR’S BABY MAMA TELLS US ABOUT HIS WILD LIFE

Oh shit was right. 

Luke’s eyes widened and he shook his head on disbelief. Michael had gotten a girl /pregnant/? That’s what that fight had been about? Ashton mentioned attention but Luke wasn’t expecting anything like this. He briefly wondered how the musician’s press team hadn’t handled the girl before this story got out, but maybe they weren’t as good as Michael had thought they were. 

“Well… I guess now you know the truth, huh? Maybe he really /is/ a dick. Or at least only thinks with one.” Calum patted his friend on the shoulder, trying to contain a smile. 

 

Ashton threw down the front page of the latest tabloid in front of Michael, his hand hitting the table with an audible slap.

“Well good fucking job, Clifford.” Ashton said, his gaze locked with the guitarists’. He never swore, only when he was incredibly angered, which he clearly was right now. “First, you act like a complete idiot just like I told you not to, and now everyone knows how much of an idiot you are.”

Michael’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles cracking. This entire thing was complete bullshit, and he knew it. He knew he couldn’t have ever gotten the girl pregnant because he didn’t sleep with her, he didn’t sleep with anyone. Fangirls just liked to post dumb stories online about how they had slept with him one night in a dirty, run-down hotel, two things of which Michael would never do. The real reason, though, was something he had kept to himself ever since he started this band. He just allowed the media to think what they wanted because the more they talked about him, the more the record company made. No publicity was bad publicity, but he thought Ashton most certainly disagreed with that in this moment. 

“I told you she was lying.” He mumbled, trying to tear his gaze away from the older man’s to no avail. He had done such a good job of keeping everyone believing he was truly living the rockstar lifestyle that his manager believed it too. 

“That’s not what this says and it says a hell of a lot. She’s got details in here, Michael. She’s claiming you got her pregnant on a one night stand in Perth.” Michael distinctly remembered that concert and that night because it was one of the craziest encounters he had ever had with a fan. Security had been lax that night and after the show he had went out to a club, enjoying a few drinks as he always did. He could handle his beer, but this girl clearly couldn’t. He had gone outside out the back to smoke a cigarette and next thing he knew, this girl was all over him. She was clearly intoxicated and he wasn’t going to sleep with her anyway even if she wasn’t, and he took her by the shoulders, keeping her at arm’s length. He remembered telling her that he was flattered and making up some excuse like he ‘wasn’t in the mood’ and told her to go find her friends so that they could take her home. The girl—whose name he still didn’t know, but could see from the article that it was Stephanie—didn’t like that answer and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest like the childish girl she was. When she refused to move, Michael had shook his head and took her by the arm, leading her back inside the club. She somehow wriggled out of his grip and suddenly she was kissing him furiously, something Michael immediately cut off, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. After that, she kept a pout as he led her back into the club and found her friends, where she immediately had a different vibe. She was hanging all over him as he tried to explain that she needed to go home, acting like they were a couple or something. That was the last time Michael had ever seen Stephanie but it clearly wasn’t the last. 

“It’s not true.” He told his manager defiantly. 

“I don’t want to hear it.” Ashton held up his hand and snatched the magazine off of the table and crumpled it in his hand. “You better hope that press can fix this, Clifford, before it blows up more than it already has.” And with that, the older man stormed out of the room, leaving Michael with a bigger pit in his stomach than he had had in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Image credit: http://calvumhood.tumblr.com *


	3. Chapter 3

Luke was having a bad day.

After he had found out about the huge secret when he was with Calum, he had said goodbye to his friend and decided to go home early. He was still in complete awe at what the gossip site had said but he didn’t have a hard time believing it. It didn’t make Michael a bad person but it certainly kept up the typical drama that followed the musician around wherever he went. Regardless of whatever drama surrounded Michael, Luke would always support him, defending him to his friends who showed him over and over how much of a shit person his idol was. But he didn’t care: no matter what Michael did, he still made the music he loved and that had gotten him through some really tough times in his early teen years.

Luke had his headphones in now, hands stuffed into the pockets of his skinny jeans as he walked down the familiar route from Calum’s house to his own. His gaze was focused on his feet hitting the ground as he walked so he didn’t see the person before he bumped into them.

Blinking, Luke mumbled an apology. “Sorry, excuse me, I—“ And when his gaze drifted upwards, he was met with the green eyes he knew too well. 

It was Michael.

Michael’s arms were already crossed over his chest, his dark sunglasses falling down his nose as he looked at Luke. The younger boy blushed a shade of pink, which he seemed to be doing a lot lately, as he was once again frozen in place. 

“Second time in two days? What a coincidence: if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were stalking me.” Michael forced a smile, but both of them knew it was fake. “Luke, was it?” 

Luke nodded rapidly and swallowed a lump in his throat that he didn’t notice had been there. Michael remembered him! “Yeah, Luke. Listen, I, well I heard abou—“ He was cut off by Michael briskly pushing his sunglasses back up and his body language became rigid. 

“And you want to know if it’s true? You want to know if my bad boy reputation lives up to what that slimeball of a gossip site said about me?” Michael realized he was raising his voice and people were beginning to stare. He couldn’t do this here and he didn’t want to. 

What he did want to do was talk to Luke because he was probably the only one who would listen.

“Come with me.” He mumbled softly, so softly Luke was sure that he had been imagining it, but then Michael nudged him when he didn’t move, proving that it was real. Luke quickly followed behind the boy, his strides matching the same pace. He wondered where they were going but figured that it was worth it. They came upon the hotel Michael was staying at and shuffled through the lobby without being noticed, though he could surmise that wasn’t the case. Things were quiet in the elevator and Luke’s shyness was coming out much more than usual around Michael: it made sense, too, how many people got to meet their idol not once but /twice/ and then be invited to his room? This was happening all too quickly for Luke to have any objection to it. Once the elevator pinged on the seventh floor, Michael led them out and down the hall to his room, sliding the keycard into the slot. Opening the door when the light turned green, the younger boy followed behind him and was met with… normalcy. It was a suite, with a small area for the kitchen, as well as a small living room. It was a little messy but that was to be expected, right? Michael gestured to one of the two loveseats and Luke sat down, his hands folded in his lap, his lip ring secured between his teeth as the other boy sat across from him. 

Michael’s gaze settled on Luke, then, his sunglasses having been abandoned. It made him a little uncomfortable, but he still didn’t want to be the one to speak first. After sitting in silence for about a minute, Michael took a deep breath and began.

“First off, I really don’t know why I invited you here. And I don’t really know why you came. All I know is that you’re just about the only person who would believe me right now.” Luke was holding his breath and simply nodded in acknowledgement. “I’ve seen you, you know.” Michael said, absentmindedly spinning one of his leather bracelets around his wrist. “I knew you were a huge fan even before you told me last night. You’ve always been at the shows in Sydney, every time Bromance has come.” Luke laughed a little at that, hearing his idol pretty much spelling out how obsessed he was. “Almost always front row, too. And almost always one of the only men—other than dads—at the shows.” Luke tugged harder on his lip ring, till it almost hurt, before releasing it.

“Like I said, I’ve been following you a long time. Your music just… speaks to me. It’s helped me through a lot.” He didn’t go into any more detail, not knowing what Michael would think.

The older boy nodded. “I do appreciate that, Luke. Not many people care about the music anymore. Not like you seem to.” A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his hand running through his fire engine red hair. “Anyway, I asked you to come here because nobody—not even my manager—believes me when I say that those rumors aren’t true. And you said you didn’t believe I was a dick, so… I wanted to prove to you that I wasn’t. Not the real me.” 

Luke shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. “I get the whole act. Rather, why you have to do it.” He started. “I knew your lyrics meant something more than just a dollar in somebody’s wallet.” 

Michael nodded, his thumb absentmindedly stroking his bottom lip. Luke was staring and he knew Michael could notice, but he couldn’t stop. He was sitting feet away from his favorite musician of all time, who had chosen /him/ over anyone else to talk to. A small smirk tugged at the older boy’s lips and he winked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. 

“Now, to what I brought you here for.” Michael said, a serious tone in his voice. “It’s not true. About the girl, about what she said, any of it. I don’t sleep with my fans, no matter how much they say I do.” Luke was a little surprised at this guy’s ethics, but he shouldn’t have been. “And I need your help.”

“/My/ help? What can I do that your press team won’t?” Luke replied, eyes wide.

“The press team is a bunch of idiots that shouldn’t have even let this get out in the first place.” Michael stood up and began to pace back and forth. “Ashton is pissed off at me, and I mean really pissed off, worse than last night.” Luke remembered the ordeal, quite well actually. “I think if we… hung out more, maybe it would take the attention off of that scandal. Then the news would be about our friendship instead: one of those happy, feel-good stories, y’know? ‘Michael Clifford befriends long-time fan: maybe he isn’t a bad guy after all!’” He said with a laugh, turning around to face Luke. “What do you think?”

“I think…” Luke was at a lost for words. Sure, he would never turn down being friends with his idol, but… “I think a new rumor would come out of that, Michael.” He said as he looked down, knowing how much the older boy would hate that.

He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head. “We won’t make it look like that. Just two bros hanging out, promise. No weird stuff.” Michael promised, taking a seat back on the couch opposite Luke. “I really think this could work.” He said seriously, his eyes pleading to the younger boy. “At least till I go back to the States for the tour.” 

Luke pondered for a moment: Michael really wanted him to do this. He was asking for his help and it made him feel… needed. Nodding strongly, Luke allowed a smile to come across his lips. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.” He agreed.

Michael’s features lit up a little bit, then, more than they had the entire day. “I don’t know how to thank you.” He almost whispered, afraid that he was showing too much of his soft side now. But he trusted Luke for some reason… he just did. 

“You don’t have t—“ The opening of a door and the loud sound of it slamming shut cut off Luke. Both boys looked over to find Ashton coming into the suite, a black bandana wrapped around his head.

“Clifford, we need to ta—“ This time, it was Ashton who was cut off, not by anyone but the sight of the two boys on the couch. He raised a brow, looking between the two: Michael was simply stunned while Luke was frozen in place. “What the hell is going on here?” Ashton demanded.

Michael stood up, taking a few strides towards his manager. “I can explain. This is Luke and he—“ A grin spread across Ashton’s face, before giving his client a pat on the back. 

“Aw, is this your new boyfriend? Just /fabulous/! Another thing to add to my list.” He shook his head, his gaze focused on Luke now. “You better learn real quick to keep your mouth shut, kid. Especially about this whole… thing between you two. Not good for the rockstar image.” 

“I’m not his boyfriend.” Luke mumbled, looking at Michael rather than Ashton, who was incredibly intimidating up close.

“He’s my new /friend/, Ashton. He’s going to help put that rumor to rest and it’ll be all good publicity from now on.” Michael confirmed.

“Oh. Well.” Ashton cleared his throat, giving Michael a genuine smile as he cleared his throat. “Maybe I didn’t give you as much credit as you deserved, Clifford. Nice to meet you, Luke, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.” Ashton told the youngest boy before heading off in the direction of what was probably his bedroom at the far end of the suite.

The two boys looked at each other in disbelief and awe, wondering how exactly this plan was going to work. But they had no choice, it /had/ to work.

Or Michael’s career would be taking a turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Image credit: http://eichens-house.tumblr.com *


	4. Chapter 4

This had certainly been an eventful day.

Michael and Luke recovered from the harsh encounter from Ashton and were sitting next to one another on the couch, both staring down at the floor. Luke was again biting at his lip in the manner he only did when he was nervous, something Michael would soon learn about him. It seemed like the younger boy knew everything about the older, but the older knew nothing about the younger other than he was a big fan of his band. Though Michael seemed confident on stage, he was actually quite reserved and kept himself out of the limelight when he could: unfortunately, the predicament they were in was because he couldn’t help it. Luke looked over at the other, taking a chance and stepping out of his comfort zone to speak.

“So… what are we going to do? I mean, you said hanging out, but… like what?” He knew that this was going to be difficult for him, being in the public eye. But it was like he couldn’t deny it, not an opportunity like this, especially when Michael desperately needed him.

“Well… what do you like to do with your friends?” Michael asked, propping a foot up on the coffee table. If Ashton walked in, he knew he would get it for that, too.

“I really only hang out like that with my best friend. His name’s Calum, we’ve been friends since we were in elementary school. We actually… met because we both play. Music, I mean.” Luke added hurriedly, his gaze meeting with Michael’s.

Michael raised a brow and sat back in a more comfortable position. “/You/ play? Really?” He said in a little bit of a harsh tone, which caused Luke to break their connection. Realizing this, he recovered. “I mean, you just seem… I dunno, shy. Like you wouldn’t even get up on the stage.” 

“We just do it for fun, really.” The younger shrugged, not as offended as he should be. “We actually learned some of your songs once and performed them in his living room for our families at Christmas.” Dammit, Luke, your fanboy is showing again, he reminded himself. 

“That’s pretty damn cool, Luke. Some of those riffs take practice, believe me.” He said with a wink and then stood up, reaching out his hand to help Luke, who took it and hoisted him off of the couch. “How about we try going out somewhere for lunch? Pretty low key and all.” Michael asked, to which Luke responded with a nod. “And tonight, I’ll get you in backstage to my show.” He told the younger, who immediately let out a laugh. Bromance were playing a few shows in Sydney and then had a break for about a week, before moving on to Adelaide, but he already knew that.

“I guess I didn’t need to buy a ticket, then.” He wrinkled his nose with a chuckle, following Michael out of the hotel room. He literally couldn’t believe this, what was happening to him. Cal wouldn’t believe it, either. Oh. Shit. Cal. Gently tapping Michael on the shoulder as they waited for the elevator, he bit his lower lip. “Actually, Michael, um, I was going to the concert with Cal. He bought me tickets for my birthday and said he would come with me.” Luke blushed, not wanting to ask if he could get a pass for his friend, too. He didn’t want to push whatever luck he had going: he didn’t know when it was going to run out.

The elevator arrived and they stepped inside, Michael replacing his dark aviators back over his eyes. It really didn’t do too much to disguise him: the red hair gave him away enough. “Oh, well, I’m sure I could get something for Calum, too. If he wanted.” 

If he wanted?! Luke was trying his best to keep his demeanor cool but damn was it hard. “I definitely think he would… want.” He nodded, quickly getting out his phone to text his best friend and tell him the news. “You aren’t going to believe this, but we’re going backstage at Bromance’s show tonight.” He quickly typed, before sending it as the doors opened in the lobby. 

Michael could see the excitement desperately trying to break free over the younger boy’s features and he couldn’t help but smile as he walked through the lobby with him. This life had always been what he knew and it was refreshing to see somebody else experience it for the first time. He could feel he was going soft with Luke and he knew he would not be getting rid of that soft spot easily. The pair walked down the street, hands both stuffed into their own pockets, not really saying much. Luke knew Sydney better than Michael and he knew the perfect spot to go for lunch. It was small, and not many people knew about it: Luke didn’t know how ready he was to be in the public eye just yet. Leading Michael down a side street, they took a shortcut to the place, Luke grinning in triumph when they reached it. It was perfect, or at least he hoped Michael would think so too. Looking over at him for approval, the older boy nodded as they seated themselves, deciding quickly to order something small. 

After the waitress took their order, Michael took a couple glances over his shoulder, surprised that nobody followed them there. It was actually a relief. He felt it was safe to take off his sunglasses, so he did, meeting Luke’s gaze. The boy was chewing on his lower lip again, fiddling with his lip ring. 

Michael found it incredibly distracting.

“You do that a lot, you know.” He commented, nodding in the general direction of Luke’s mouth. 

Immediately releasing it, he laughed nervously, shrugging. “I don’t even notice it sometimes.” Luke confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Michael was utterly surprised by him. It was seldom he took so much interest in a fan, let alone a male one. He knew he didn’t have many friends, not many true ones anyway, only ones that wanted something from him. That was the truth of the business: you never really could tell who your real friends were until a fake one fucked you over. He wouldn’t trade it for the world, though. He was doing what he loved, but he could also see himself becoming friends with Luke. Maybe even…

His train of thought was cut off as their food arrived and the two ate in near silence, awkwardly avoiding each other’s gaze. Michael knew they had to make this whole thing more believable if it was going to work, but he also knew Luke would probably never make the first move, too stunned by being in the presence of his idol. He laughed to himself at the thought: he was somebody’s idol. That put a lot of pressure on him, a lot of pressure to make sure Luke somehow knew the real him, not the asshole that was on stage every night. 

“This is good, Luke.” Michael said, which caused the younger boy’s eyes to light up. 

“It’s not well-known, only the locals know it, really. I’m glad it isn’t overrun with tourists or it just wouldn’t be the same. I remember Cal and I…” Luke stopped himself. He was talking about Calum /a lot/ and he didn’t want Michael to get the wrong idea. “Calum’s my best friend, like I said, he always has been. He was always there to… stand up for me, you know? If you couldn’t tell, I’m not really the most buff guy around.” That was true, Michael thought. Luke was a little scrawny and he clearly didn’t work out. Nodding in acknowledgement, he continued. “We used to come here when he would ditch school and have milkshakes. It sounds stupid now, but some of those times really brought us together.” The older smiled a little then, leaning forward on his elbows.

“Well maybe it can do the same for us.” He suggested, raising a brow. Luke nodded hurriedly, swirling one of his fries in ketchup. He hated ketchup. “This will work, Luke, I know it will. Just be yourself, you don’t have to be anyone else. That’s why I picked you, among other reasons. You just seem… right.” Michael finished, realizing what he said sounded a little weird. Luke didn’t seem to let it faze him, though, which allowed Michael to let out a breath. Leaving enough bills to cover the tab on the table, he put his sunglasses back on and let Luke lead them back the way they came.

“So... tell me about yourself.” The older said with a laugh, which caused Luke to look at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just that sounded like the most awkward first fucking date question.” Luke’s eyes got wider. “Not that this is a /date/ date. A friend date.” Michael explained. He didn’t think he could stumble over his words worse than he just did with Luke. 

“A friend date.” Luke reflected. “Well, I’m nineteen, not really into the whole school thing.” He shrugged. “I play guitar, that’s really what I love to do. I have two brothers and a dog named Molly. That’s… about all there is to know about me.” He laughed, looking over at the red-haired boy. “I already know everything about you.” He realized how dumb that sounded as soon as he said it. “I mean, I’ve known of you for three years.”

Michael grinned, winking at the younger boy. “You know what I choose to show people. What my management chooses to be shown.” He almost whispered, ever afraid of someone listening in on them. “I’m actually the biggest nerd. I play video games literally days at a time on breaks. I read comics. My favorite word is hamburger.” He smirked, twisting one of his leather bracelets. “And… I really care about my fans. That’s how I got here, because of them.” He took off one of the bracelets that was around his wrist, handing it over to Luke. Luke didn’t really know what to do, so with shaky hands, he took it. “A fan gave me each and every one of these, that’s why I wear them.” Luke was realizing that maybe he didn’t know everything about his idol, not really. Michael quickly recovered, shrugging his shoulders. “But you better keep this all to yourself. Not even Calum, okay?” He was almost pleading as the two reached the hotel, stopping outside of it.

“I promise.” Luke almost whispered, nodding in agreement. 

“Good.” Michael said, clapping the younger on the shoulder. “I’ll put your names on the guest list for tonight. Just go to the stage door and tell them your name.” He told the boy, raising his brow to confirm comprehension.

“O-Okay.” Luke stuttered.

“See you tonight, Luke.” Michael said, turning on his heel and going back into the hotel.

This concert would be a night to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Image credit: http://5sostrum.tumblr.com *


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some slight allusions to homophobia. 
> 
> *Image credit: http://pixshark.com/muke-gifs-on-stage.htm *

 

It was happening.

After spending what seemed like hours in front of the mirror, Luke finally decided on his signature pair of tight black skinny jeans with a simple black tank top, paired with black high-top converse. Calum was dressed similarly, except his nails were painted black. Luke raised a brow, nodding to the nail polish, and Calum just shrugged.

“It’s a punk rock gesture, Hemmings” was his response. 

Liz, who didn’t know anything about Luke’s secret friendship with Michael, dropped off the two in front of the venue. He didn’t tell her because he didn’t want her to worry and he didn’t think like it was that big of a deal yet. He secretly hoped it would never turn out to be a big deal, as anything more than just the two of them hanging out. A lot. Luke couldn’t help but wonder…

Cal snapped his fingers in front of his best friend’s face, bringing him out of his daze. “I said, are you just going to stand there or are we going to go party backstage with your /idol/ who invited us there?” He grinned excitedly, knowing this was a huge deal for Luke. He almost didn’t believe it, and he wanted to make sure that Michael wasn’t just taking advantage of his friend. Cal somewhat believed it was all too good to be true when Luke had filled him in as they had gotten ready, wondering why this huge rockstar would pick /his/ best friend. Not that Luke wasn’t great and all, it was just… he was /Luke/. Shy, adorable Luke who had gotten bullied on the playground before he had come along to save him. Cal would always take care of him, no matter what.

Luke nodded quickly and went around the side of the venue that he knew too well. This was one of the first venues that Bromance had played at in Sydney and they always returned each tour. There was a member of the security team—a large, tall one at that—standing outside the stage door with his arms crossed and sunglasses on. Luke gulped before going up to him.

“Excuse me, I—“

“Listen, kid, you’re not the first one to try and get backstage. It’s not gonna happen.” 

“But I’m on the list. Michael… He put me on the list. My name’s Luke, Luke Hemmings.” Luke affirmed.

Raising a skeptical brow, the security guard picked up the clipboard that was on the ground, presumably the guest list. Scanning it, he looked up at the boy, clearly surprised. 

“Alright, Luke Hemmings and Guest. No funny business, you hear me?” The two nodded quickly as the guard stepped aside and let them in. It was dark, and noisy, probably from soundcheck or something. 

SOUNDCHECK! Luke thought to himself and took a few steps before knocking right into someone that he knew all too well.

Ashton opened his mouth to probably say a thousand expletives, but closed it once he saw it was Luke. With a sly smile, he reached over to pat him on the back. “Luke, right? Michael told me you would be coming. Bet you’ve never been backstage before, huh?” He laughed a little, just noticing Calum standing behind him. “And who’s this?” He asked curiously, stepping behind Luke to hold out his hand.

“Calum, sir.” Cal mumbled, reaching his hand out to shake Ashton’s. He presumed this was Michael’s manager as Luke looked on in disbelief. 

“Well, nice to meet you, Calum.” Turning on his heel, he motioned for them to follow him. “Do you kids like coffee? I’m kind of addicted, but you have to be working in this business. You barely sleep!” He laughed again, leading them towards the coffee table.

“N-no thanks.” Luke stammered, politely folding his hands behind his back as they watched Ashton fix his own. 

He finished, turning back around to face the boys. “Well, let’s get you over to see what you /really/ came for.” Ashton winked and Calum felt his cheeks turn bright red—he was never as thankful in this moment that it was dark than he was right now. The pair followed Ashton to the stage, where they watched from behind the curtain. Michael was in fact doing a soundcheck with the band, making sure everything worked and sounded good before the crowd came in. There were a few girls—presumably contest winners—who were at the foot of the stage, nearly gripping it as they watched Michael. Luke rolled his eyes—he really couldn’t stand the way these girls acted around the guy. But they weren’t asked to become Michael’s friend, to /help/ him, in a way that only Luke could. He felt sort of proud at that, but he didn’t want to let it show.

Michael finished the soundcheck and sat on the edge of the stage, taking a few questions and signing a few things. Luke remembered how he had told him how much he cared about the fans and it sort of warmed his heart to see him doing that for them. When he was finished, he came backstage and his face lit up when he saw the younger boy. 

“Luke!” He grinned and almost went for a hug, before deciding against it. “Glad you made it.” Michael said, completely ignoring his manager as he focused on Calum. “You must be Calum—I’ve heard a lot about you.” He extended his hand for a shake as well, which Cal accepted.

“All good things, I hope.” Luke’s best friend said, winking as he glanced over at him.

“Absolutely.” Michael affirmed, glancing over at Ashton, who was closely watching Calum. He didn’t really care to wonder why, not right now. “So, the show starts in half an hour, if you guys want to explore. You’ll be in the VIP section in front of the stage for the show.”  
Luke had never been that close, ever. He had only ever been barricade, but the special VIP area was reserved for friends and family of the band. He tried to remain calm but his heart was beating faster than he thought it ever had. Michael said a quick goodbye before rushing off to his dressing room, where he had his pre-show ritual that included spending twenty minutes with a dehumidifier. Calum and Luke explored backstage, sticking close by one another. 

“What do you think of that Ashton guy?” Calum questioned as they settled on a spot in the corner. 

“I honestly don’t know. He’s… rough. I’ve only seen him be mean to Michael.” Which Luke didn’t like. “But I guess that’s show business behind the scenes.” He said with a shrug. 

“Promise me you’ll be careful, Luke.” His best friend pleaded, tone suddenly serious. “I don’t want you getting hurt, not even for Michael. Not even by Michael.” His tone dropped again, his big brown eyes speaking to Luke. 

“I promise, Cal.” He said and gave his best friend a huge hug, earning a smile on both of their faces. 

None other than the man they were just talking about broke up their moment. Ashton rushed over and put a hand on both of their shoulders. “Show’s about to start, guys, let’s get you down there.” He guided them to the VIP area and Luke could feel the jealous gaze of hundreds of girls on his back. But he was too distracted to even care as the first chord of the show rang out, the spotlight lighting up Michael’s figure on the stage.

“How are you doing tonight, Sydney?!” Michael asked the crowd, who responded in a wave of screams and yells.

“That’s what I like to hear!” He replied. “Now who’s ready to get fucking crazy?!” This was answered again with a bunch of screams and the show continued on, Luke completely absorbed in it. This is what music did for him: he could lose himself in it and not have to worry about anything in his life that was going wrong. His life was going pretty damn well at this point but it still worked wonders to hear his favorite band live. Live shows were such a difference experience than listening to a recorded song and he loved seeing the energy on stage. And Michael sure had a lot of it, jumping around and doing crazy things all while still playing his guitar. 

It was nearing the end of the show and Michael took out his acoustic guitar, setting up a stool in front of the microphone stand. The rest of his band had gone off stage and Luke had never seen that before, his gaze focused solely on the guitarist. “I have a special guest here tonight and I wanted to know if he would like to come up on stage and play this next song with me.” Michael told the crowd, his gaze connecting with Luke’s. 

Holy. Shit. 

Luke was frozen in place and Calum nudged him, leaning in to his ear. “Luke, he’s talking about you! You’ve /got/ to go, this will never happen again.” He told his best friend, putting his hands behind his back and pushing gently, which moved Luke up one step. Swallowing, he shook his head.

“I can’t, Cal, I can’t! You know how I am in front of crowds.” He looked down, breaking off his gaze with Michael.

Michael noticed this, turning back to the crowd. “I think he needs some encouragement, guys. Come on, Luke!” He raised his arms, starting the chant. “Luke! Luke! Luke!” The crowd joined in, the chant getting louder and louder. Luke was absolutely terrified but he closed his eyes, nodding to himself. He could do this, he knew he could. Security came to help him find his way onstage, where he was met with Michael. Michael, who knew he had stage fright, but who still asked him to come on stage with him. Another stool was set up and another acoustic guitar was placed in Luke’s hands. It felt familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time. He looked out into the crowd, immediately regretting his decision, before frantically finding Cal in the crowd. His best friend gave him a thumbs-up and he smiled nervously as Michael wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“This is a new friend I made, his name’s Luke. He’s been a fan of this band for years—probably as long as we have been together—and he’s going to play a song with me. This one’s called Amnesia.” He said into the microphone and he pushed the microphone away from his mouth, leaning into Luke’s ear.

“You know this one, right?” He asked and Luke nodded. Of course he knew it. “Play the melody.” Michael instructed before both of them too a seat on the stools, the older boy looking to the younger to begin the song. Luke kept his gaze on Calum as he began the familiar notes, his fingers working effortlessly over the guitar. Michael began singing the first verse but it was just noise in the room as Luke focused on not messing up. He couldn’t mess up in front of all of these people because it would literally be the most embarrassing thing to ever happen in his life. He heard the pre-chorus coming up and a nudge hit his shoulder: it was Michael, his green eyes staring as he nodded for Luke to join him in on the chorus.

 

I remember the day you told me you were leaving, I remember the makeup running down your face, and the dreams you left behind you didn’t need them, like every single wish we ever made…

 

The song neared its bridge and the younger had the courage to bring his head up and look out at the audience. All he could see were cell phones, lit up on their flashlight apps, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song. It was the most outstanding thing that he had ever experienced. Music had always been what he loved but he never thought he would be able to perform it. Not like this. The song ended and the crowd cheered—Luke could hear Calum yelling distinctly through the shouts of the crowd. Michael grinned and patted him on the back, pulling him in for a hug as the stagehands came over to take the guitar and extra stool away. 

“Give it up one more time for Luke!” 

Luke gave a weak wave before being led backstage and back to his spot in the VIP area with his best friend. Cal gave him a hug and he returned it, still on a high from being up on stage, /performing/ next to his idol. It was so surreal, especially now. 

The show finished soon after that and the pair was again led backstage to meet up with Michael. Michael’s hair was completely messed up and sweat was pretty much pouring off of his body. Someone handed him a towel and he wiped his face and arms, grinning as Luke came into view. 

“I’m sorry I did that, I just…” Luke held up a hand to interrupt Michael.

“It was amazing. I never thought I could…” This time it was Luke who trailed off. Michael completely understood. 

Ashton came over to them, then, clapping Michael on the back. He seemed to do that a lot. Looking over at Calum, he raised a brow. “Two of you interested in coming to an after party? It’s at the bar down the street.” 

Cal nodded quickly, then realizing he was too eager, he shrugged. “Yeah, sounds cool. Luke…?” Liz was supposed to pick them up but Luke could always text her. 

Luke could tell his friend really wanted to go so he acquiesced, nodding too. “Sounds fun.” He said with a small smile. He noticed how Ashton was still staring at Cal and it seemed weird to him—this was the third time that night at least. Maybe he should be the one getting th—

His thought was cut off by another hug from Michael, which was surprising. Luke had never pegged him as a hugger but maybe it was that sort of after-concert high thing. He hugged him back and the older led them out of the back door, where they were met with barricades lined with fans. There were all of a sudden two bright spotlights illuminating the pathway and Michael was taking pictures with the fans that were against the barricade. Luke guessed that they had probably been waiting for hours just to catch a glimpse or a quick selfie with him: that was insane. Next thing he knew, he heard /his/ name being called, and Michael was pulling him over to be in the photos. Luke didn’t really know what to do, so he kind of awkwardly smiled as they made their way down the path. Luckily, it was over soon enough and Cal patted his shoulder.

“You okay? That was… intense.” He commented, looking at the blonde.

“I-I’m fine.” He confirmed, Michael walking beside them like this was nothing out of the ordinary for him. Which it wasn’t, it was a common thing—had to keep the fans happy. The trio walked down the street just like Ashton had directed and found a tiny hole-in-the-wall bar that was being guarded by security. Holy shit, Ashton must have rented the place out for a private party. Which wasn’t saying much because, once they got inside, they saw that it was barely big enough for a hundred people. Michael began saying hi to a few of the crew members that had already shown up along with some of his record label’s Australian higher-ups. Luke and Calum tagged along for a while before deciding to rather take a seat at a high-top table and order a beer. The two had never been this quiet with one another but it seemed like they were getting quieter and quieter as the night went on. Luke was halfway done with his beer before Ashton came up behind Calum and Michael came up behind him. 

“Hey, Luke, I turned around and didn’t see you, wondered where you’d gone.” Michael said, a beer in his hand as well. Luke could somewhat tell that it hadn’t been Michael’s first drink of the night, maybe paired with a couple shots of Jack Daniel’s Fire. Ashton looked fairly sober but maybe that was just because he held his alcohol well.

“Yeah, we just decided to sit here for a while. A lot of commotion and all, you seemed busy.” Luke shrugged, his gaze meeting Cal’s. Ashton’s hand had moved to the boy’s shoulder, but the younger didn’t seem to be shying away.

“You’re part of this now, I’m not going to be too busy for you.” The red-haired boy explained, finishing his beer and nearly smacking it down on the table. “Come on, let’s mingle.” Michael suggested, Ashton nodding in approval. This exposure was good for them, good for this play-friendship.

“I don’t want to leave Ca—“ Luke was cut off by Ashton, who squeezed Calum’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t you worry, Luke. Safe with me.” He nearly whispered the last part and Luke sent his friend a warning glance before getting up and following Michael. He introduced the blonde to some music executives, people he probably wouldn’t remember in the morning. Luke was such a lightweight and he could already feel the beer going to his head, meanwhile Michael had another shot. 

“Maybe you should… slow down?” He didn’t want to upset the older, but he was supposed to be his friend, right? And friends looked out for each other.

Michael pursed his lips as if thinking about this, nodding. “Maybe. Come on, let’s go out back, I need a cig.” He told Luke, tugging him towards the back of the place, out the side door. Unlike the other night, the alleyway was quiet and empty of anyone but the two boys as Michael lit his cigarette and sucked in, blowing out smoke slowly. Offering to Luke, who politely declined, he leaned back against the building.

“Are you gay?” 

Luke almost choked at the question, his blue eyes widening as he looked over at Michael.

“W-Why would you ask me that?” He bit nervously on his lip ring. 

Michael took another drag and moved so that he was standing in front of the younger, Luke’s back pressed against the brick wall. “You do that a lot.” He gestured to Luke biting his lip ring. “You were staring at me with those ‘holy fuck I want to kiss you’ eyes earlier in the hotel room. You commented on how this could look like ‘something else’. You said you were bullied in school but not what for. I’m guessing it wasn’t your height.” Michael finished, his pierced eyebrow raising.

Shit. Shit shit /shit/. “I… Uh…” 

“It’s okay if you are.” Michael said, his free hand pressing flat against the wall next to Luke’s head. “I won’t judge. Maybe we can even…” Michael began to lean in towards Luke, who somehow found the courage to push him away.

“You’re drunk and you’re not thinking straight and this isn’t something I just /tell/ people, especially not people like you and people like you just aren’t meant for people like me.” He was speaking in a hurried tone, the red-haired boy’s head tilted as he listened.

“I’m not drunk, just a little tipsy, give me a break.” He extinguished his cigarette and moved towards Luke again. “What you don’t know i—“ Luke didn’t give him time to finish before he burst back into the bar’s door, frantically rushing through the place looking for Calum. He couldn’t do this, he should have known better. God, he was such an idiot! He found Cal nearly plastered to Ashton’s side as the manager talked to a group of his co-workers. His friend looked like a damn lovesick puppy and Luke couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol making him sick or the fact his best friend was acting like this towards a guy that clearly was not gay. Luke tapped him on the shoulder and Cal turned around, his eyes widened. 

“Luke, what’s—“ His friend shook his head. 

“We’re leaving. Now.” 

“But I was just—“

“Now, Calum.” Luke said in the darkest tone Calum had ever heard him use. He knew the boy was serious and nodded, tapping Ashton on the shoulder and whispering something in his ear, to which Ashton nodded. 

“Okay, fine. Let’s go.” Cal said, following Luke out of the bar. Luke could almost hear Michael calling his name, but he didn’t care—he was leaving and that was that.

The warm air hit the two of them like a 2X4 truck as Luke hurriedly walked down the street. His best friend rushed to catch up, waiting a good distance away from the bar before yelling “Stop!” which caused Luke to do so and turn around.

“What the hell happened in there?” He demanded, clearly upset. 

“I’m not talking about it now. Let’s just say you were completely right about Michael and it was great while it lasted but to hell with this.” Luke mumbled, calling his mom to tell him that they were ready.

“I was hitting it off with Ashton in there. I’m sure what Michael did couldn’t have been /that/ bad.” Cal nearly slurred.

Luke rolled his eyes and laughed. “Great. So you’re drunk /and/ delusional. That makes two tonight.” He shook his head, his head in his hands. 

“Hey, it’s not my fault your thing got fucked up, okay? But mine was going pretty damn well.” He mumbled.

Luke raised a brow. “Seriously? Ashton is straight as a fucking pin, Cal. And nobody knows you’re gay, only me. If anyone knew…” He trailed off, suddenly feeling bad for how he was talking to Calum. “I’m sorry, you’re right and—“ 

His friend shook his head. “Never mind, you’re right. It was stupid. All of it was.” He mumbled, sighing and wrapping his arms around Luke. “At least you still love me.” 

“I’ll always love you, Cal.” Luke replied, the dark green minivan pulling up to the curb and pulling away from what could have been the greatest night of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a little while for this chapter! I had final exams but now they're over and I have a month to focus on this story.
> 
> Little bit of character development in this chapter :-)
> 
> FYI: I've really been educating myself on different orientations and the one mentioned here I'm new to. I apologize if anyone is offended by the description: I used Huffington Post as my research source.
> 
> ** Image credit: http://michaelogclifford.tumblr.com **

 

The next morning, Luke didn’t have a hangover, but it sure felt like it.

Cal had slept over his house the night before, too tired to bother walking home. They didn’t really have ‘bro sleepovers’ too much, not since they were kids, but both of them needed it. Needed each other, that’s what best friends were for. Luke rolled over in his bed to find Calum already awake, typing away on his phone and already dressed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up and stretched, looking over at his friend and then over at the clock: it was 8AM.

“Who the hell are you texting at eight in the morning?” The blonde whined, collapsing down in his bed again.

“Nobody.” Calum said hurriedly, shoving his phone under his pillow and smiling way too sweetly for it to be nobody. Luke narrowed his eyes and Cal just shrugged, grinning before throwing his pillow at his friend, which earned him a pillow in the face too. 

“Come on, let’s go get some coffee or something.” Cal suggested, which made Luke furrow a brow—Calum liked coffee but he knew Luke hated it. Nodding slowly, the blonde got out of bed and ruffled his friend’s hair.

“Anything for you, Cal Pal.” He muttered, heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When he came back to his room, his best friend was on his phone again, his thumbs moving quickly over the screen. His cheeks were pink in what seemed like a blush when Luke cleared his throat, shoving a shirt over his head. 

“Ready?” Calum asked, standing up and shoving his phone into his back pocket. 

“Ready.” Luke confirmed and the two of them said a quick goodbye to Liz as they walked out the front door. There was a little coffee shop within walking distance from Luke’s and Cal frequented it a lot, so much so that the owners knew his order by heart. The two walked in silence, though Luke could hear Cal’s phone buzzing in his back pocket.

“Aren’t you going to get that?” The younger asked.

Shaking his head, Cal threw his arm around Luke’s shoulders and grinned. “Nah, not important. Not as important as my best friend.” He was silent for a moment. “How are you… doing? Last night was rough, Lukey.” 

Luke hadn’t really thought about the night before until now. It seemed like a terribly bad dream that he didn’t want to remember. It was so perfect and then it wasn’t and everything his friends had been telling him was true. Michael used him and it was the worst feeling ever to be used. But Luke had been blinded by the wonder of it all, the wonder of his idol. 

“I’m… I don’t know, Cal. I just…” Luke trailed off. “He asked me if I was gay, okay. And then he tried to… He tried to kiss me. And then he was explaining himself but I didn’t want to hear it.” 

“Lukey…” Cal always used the pet name when conversations were emotional. He didn’t really know what to say but he certainly hoped he made the right decision. Rubbing his friend’s shoulder, they reached the coffee shop and went inside, Cal ordering his normal and Luke ordering a tea. Cal paid for it, grabbed their cups and took a seat in the corner, his back facing the door. Luke sat opposite him and steeped his tea, his cheek resting on his hand. Cal’s hands were tightly gripping the coffee cup and Luke noticed this, raising his brow.

“Why are you so on edge?” The blonde asked.

“I’m not, I’m just a li—“ Cal was cut off by Luke’s mumbling of ‘you’ve got to be fucking kidding me’ and the older boy figured it had happened, turning around to find Michael and Ashton walking into the coffee shop, Michael wearing his signature sunglasses and Ashton wearing a black hat on his head. 

Cal quickly turned around and was met with Luke’s shocked face staring at his. “Out of all the fucking coffee shops, they had to choo—“ Luke stopped his train of thought. It all made sense. “You didn’t.”

Calum shrugged, biting his lip. “I… I thought… I didn’t know…” 

Luke shook his head, standing up abruptly and leaving his tea. “I don’t want to hear what you thought. You knew I was upset.” 

“Well, yeah, but then Ash texted me and said Michael was upset too and I thought maybe if you two talked…”

“Oh, so you’re calling him Ash now? Didn’t know you were on a nickname basis with that jackass.” Luke huffed, crossing his arms. “Well I don’t want to talk to him.” 

“You… kind of have to. He’s coming over here.” The redheaded boy had spotted Luke by now—it was hard not to, the kid was as tall as a giraffe. He was making his way through the maze of tables, directly at Luke.

Luke glared at his best friend as he began to weave through the maze and met Michael halfway.

“Luke, listen, I just wanted t—“ Michael started, but Luke cut him off.

“I think you made it clear last night what you really want. To get drunk and smoke and act like an idiot, and then fuck with me on top of it. Starting to believe what that magazine said was true.” The boy said harshly and Michael was taken aback. His voice was raised and people were starting to stare. The redheaded boy pulled his trucker hat lower over his forehead.

“Give me five minutes. Please.” This was the closest thing to begging as Michael had ever gotten. 

Luke pondered this for a moment. He really didn’t want to hear dumb excuses but he shrugged and nodded, his arms still crossed over his chest. He looked back at Calum, whom Ashton had already found and taken his seat across his from best friend. Ashton made a gesture for the two to go outside, and Michael did the leading, out the front door and around the side of the building. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took his sunglasses off, his green eyes meeting Luke’s blue ones, and Luke hadn’t ever seen anything like them before. Hadn’t seen this much emotion from him before, not even in his saddest music videos.

“Last night didn’t go how I planned. Well, the end of it, anyway.” Michael explained. “I didn’t mean to make your uncomfortable. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”

Luke listened quietly; his gaze pulling away from Michael’s to instead stare at the asphalt. 

“You left before I could tell you…” He trailed off, biting his own lip in the manner that Luke always did.

“Tell me what? What could you have possibly wanted to tell me that would end in you nearly kissing me?” Luke’s head snapped up, his tone sharp as a knife.

“I’m… well, I don’t just like girls. It’s complicated.” Michael said.

“So you’re bisexual then?” Luke raised a brow, now starting to feel bad for being so harsh. He knew how that felt, to be judged.

“I would say I call myself heteroflexible? It means… Well, I mostly like girls but sometimes, if the right guy comes around…” He shrugged his shoulders, looking up at Luke through thick lashes. “Some people call it ‘mostly straight’, which I guess is alright, but I dunno. I’m just me. I hate labels, really.” Michael confessed. “So I’m sorry if I came on too strong, I didn’t mean to, I—“ The older boy was cut off by Luke pretty much attacking him with a hug, holding him tighter than he had ever been held. He wasn’t normally this touchy-feely, but Luke made it seem okay. Michael hugged the younger boy back, burying his face a little in his shoulder.

After a few moments, Luke backed off and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sorry, it just seemed like you needed a hug after… trusting me with that.” Michael knew full well that Luke could’ve still told him to fuck off and ran to the magazines with this, who would spin it in a completely skewed and wrong way. 

“I don’t know why I’m trusting you so quickly. I just… you seem genuine, Luke. And not many people in this business are genuine. Hell, even I’m not, even Ashton isn’t.” Michael told him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “I just am and I hope you can accept my apology and continue this… whatever it is. Friendship, bromance, whatever. Because I really like hanging out with you.” He admitted, releasing the blonde’s shoulder and stepping back. 

Luke pondered this for a moment and then nodded hesitantly. Maybe he had taken the whole ordeal weirdly last night. Michael had seemed to have good intentions that weren’t malicious at all. And he accepted him for who he was, which most people didn’t. 

“Fine, I forgive you.” Luke realized he had never directly confirmed nor denied if what Michael had asked him last night was true, but his reaction was enough to convince the rockstar what he had thought in his drunken stupor was true. He would never tell Ashton, because he knew his manager would tell him to toss Luke away, but he didn’t need to. It wasn’t Ash’s business: it was Luke’s and by default, his. 

“Let’s go back inside.” Michael said with a smile, leading the pair back around the corner. Calum and Ashton were in the front of the building, their empty coffee cups in their hands, laughing about something unbeknownst to the other pair. Cal could see in his friend’s face that everything had gone well and Luke saw something in Cal’s face that he hadn’t seen before. He couldn’t put his finger on it but it was… strange.

Ashton turned to the pair and grinned, opening his arms wide. “Ah, all sorted, are we? Huge misunderstanding, Michael said.” He leaned in close to Luke, closer than both Michael and Calum liked. “He gets a little crazy when he drinks too much. Thinks everyone wants to smoke with him.” So Michael had told Ashton a different story than what had already happened… Luke didn’t bother correcting the manager and nodded, smiling over at Michael.

“Yeah, we’re cool. As long as he doesn’t do it again.” Luke smirked and winked at Michael, who by the glory of the heavens didn’t turn the same color as his hair. 

“I’ll see you later, then?” Michael asked Luke, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to the blonde. Luke opened it to find his phone number, scrawled in bright red ink. “So you don’t have to have Calum texted Ashton to make plans, yanno.” Michael explained. Luke nodded and glanced sideways at Cal, who didn’t seem to be listening to the conversation.

“Thanks.” Luke mumbled as Michael turned on his heel and began to walk down the street. Ashton tipped his hat to the best friends and Luke could have sworn he saw Ashton wink at Calum. 

“Later, kids.” The manager said, hurrying after the rockstar.

Calum turned to Luke and raised a brow. “Everything’s okay?”

Luke nodded and hugged his friend tightly. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”


End file.
